Air bag safety demonstration vehicle and method

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method for an air bag safety demonstration vehicle is claimed. The vehicle provides a simulation of the front seat of an automobile, complete with steering wheel, dashboard simulator, one or more car seats, and one or more seat belts. The vehicle provides for demonstration of a driver&#39;s side and passenger&#39;s side frontal air bag. The vehicle is used to simulate the dangers of automobile air bags and the criticality of proper seat belt usage to minimize these dangers.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Provisional Patent Application U.S.Ser. No. 60/692,913, entitled “Air Bag Safety Demonstration Vehicle andMethod” and filed on Jun. 22, 2005, which is fully incorporated hereinby reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method fordemonstrating proper safety measures for drivers and passengers ofautomobiles equipped with air bags. More particularly, the presentinvention relates to a demonstration vehicle equipped with automobileair bags which are detonated to demonstrate the importance of seat beltuse when riding in vehicles equipped with air bags.

2. Background of the Invention

Since 1998, U.S. federal law has required manufacturers of all newpassenger cars and light trucks to install frontal air bags in both thedriver's and passenger's side of the vehicle. The frontal air bags aretypically located in the steering wheel for the driver's side and in thedashboard for the passenger's side. Upon certain frontal impact of theautomobile, the air bags automatically inflate, temporarily restrainingthe driver and passenger and preventing their heads and bodies fromstriking the steering wheel or dashboard of the vehicle. While thefrontal air bags have saved many lives, the air bags have themselvescaused many injuries and even deaths, primarily because of failures byindividuals to wear their seat belts and by failures of adults to keepchildren out of the front seat of the vehicle.

Additionally, according to the National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration, teenagers have the highest fatality rate in motorvehicle crashes than in any other age group, and a key reason for thishigh traffic fatality rate is that teenagers have lower safety belt userates than adults. Safety belts greatly reduce the risk of death orserious injury caused by air bags by restraining passengers as far backfrom the dashboard (and thus the air bag) as possible.

It would be desirable to have a safety demonstration vehicle that couldprovide a vivid demonstration of the explosive and dangerous force of adeploying air bag, and would demonstrate how proper seat belt use canprevent air bag injuries. Such a vehicle could be used by schools, lawenforcement agencies and other organizations to encourage proper seatbelt usage, especially among young people. In addition, it would bedesirable to have an economical air bag safety demonstration vehiclethat allows for simple and quick removal and replacement of air bagsonce they have been deployed. The desired demonstration vehicle would becapable of demonstrating both driver's side and passenger side air bagdeployment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the primary objective of this invention is to provide an airbag safety demonstration vehicle. The apparatus consists of anautomobile simulator vehicle including a steering wheel and/or dashboardsimulator equipped with one or more air bags and one or more seats withseat belts. During a demonstration of the vehicle, the air bags aredetonated to show the dangerous effects of improper seat belt usage on ahuman body simulator. The vehicle is designed for quick and simplereplacement of spent air bags.

For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages,and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is tobe understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achievedin accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus,the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achievesor optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught hereinwithout necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught orsuggested herein.

These and other embodiments of the present invention will also becomereadily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription of the embodiments having reference to the attached figures,the invention not being limited to any particular embodiment(s)disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical orfunctionally similar elements.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention,configured with a driver's side air bag;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention,configured with a passenger's side air bag.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT

The present invention and its advantages are best understood byreferring to the drawings. The elements of the drawings are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearlyillustrating the principles of the invention. Throughout the drawings,like numerals are used for like and corresponding parts of the variousdrawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of the invention. The vehicle chassis1 consists of a frame made in the shape of the front part of anautomobile. The frame can be made of tubing, pipe, lumber, or othermaterials. Panels 10 represent the hood, roof, and partial side of thevehicle and can be made of any of any number of materials, such asplywood, plastic, or aluminum sheeting. In this embodiment, the vehiclehas no doors to allow for better viewing of the air bag safetydemonstration. In other embodiments, an actual automobile chassis couldbe used for the vehicle chassis 1. Wheels 11 provide mobility for thevehicle, though are not required for the demonstration or to practicethe invention.

In the illustrated embodiment, the interior of the vehicle chassis 1contains a seat 2 with seat belt 3 and steering wheel 4. The dimensionsof the seat 2 and its spacing from the steering wheel 4 are typical ofthe interior dimensions of passenger cars and light trucks. Thisembodiment of the invention includes only one seat 2, as the embodimentis intended to be fairly portable and light-weight. Other embodiments ofthe invention may include two or more seats, to simulate morerealistically an automobile's front seat area.

An air bag 5 is installed into the steering wheel 4 for demonstrationsof the effects of air bag deployment. The steering wheel design allowsfor easy removal and replacement of spent air bags. In demonstrations,the air bag 5 is connected to a power source (e.g., a battery, notillustrated) to detonate the air bag. The power source can be installedwithin the vehicle chassis 1 or a portable power source can be used todeploy the air bags. Activating the deployment of the air bag through apower source, as compared with activating the air bag by an actualcollision, is designated as “static activation” for the purposes of thisapplication.

Safety devices may be used to reduce the risk of injury due toinadvertent deployment. An example of such a safety device is a redlight on the vehicle that illuminates when the air bag is “armed” towarn onlookers to keep their distance. The air bags are deployed with amanual switch in one embodiment, and in another embodiment the air bagsare deployed by a frontal impact of the vehicle with a wall or othersolid object. Some embodiments of the invention may include a motorizedvehicle involved in an actual collision for a more realisticdemonstration.

The embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 2 allows forreconfiguration of the vehicle from a driver's side air bag simulator toa passenger side air bag simulator. The reconfigurable nature of thisembodiment allows the vehicle to remain a compact one-seat vehicle andyet still provide an air bag demonstration of both front seats. In thisembodiment, the steering wheel 4 is secured to the dashboard of thevehicle with one or more sets of hinges 8 (illustrated in FIG. 1) thatallow the steering wheel 4 to be quickly and easily rotated up andoutside of the vehicle to reveal a passenger side dashboard simulator 7.A passenger side air bag 6 is installed in the dashboard simulator 7 andis deployed in a demonstration to show the hazards of passenger side airbags, which are generally larger and thus more potentially damaging thandriver's-side air bags.

In a typical operation of the air bag safety demonstration vehicle, ahuman body simulator (not illustrated) is placed into the seat 2. Thehuman body simulator can be as complex as a crash test dummy or assimple as a cardboard box torso with a gallon jug of water for a head.If a seat belt with a shoulder harness is not worn in an automobilecrash, the torso will be thrown toward and against the steering wheel ordashboard upon impact as the air bag deploys. In a typicaldemonstration, the human body simulator is positioned against thesteering wheel 5 or dashboard simulator 7 and the air bag is deployed.The explosive force of the air bag deployment will violently push thehuman body simulator backwards.

Using the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, both thedriver's side air bag 5 and the passenger side air bag 6 can bedemonstrated. An effective demonstration using the passenger side airbag 6 is to install a child safety seat in the seat 2 facing backwards.In reality, the force of the air bag deploying can dislodge a child fromthe child safety seat and hurl the child with projectile force. For thisreason, adults are warned to never put children in child safety seats inthe front seat, and especially not facing backwards. A demonstration ofthe hazards of not heeding this warning can be performed with thepassenger side air bag 6.

This invention may be provided in other specific forms and embodimentswithout departing from the essential characteristics as describedherein. The embodiment described is to be considered in all aspects asillustrative only and not restrictive in any manner. The followingclaims rather than the foregoing description indicate the scope of theinvention.

As described above and shown in the associated drawings and exhibits,the present invention comprises a method and apparatus for an air bagsafety demonstration vehicle. While particular embodiments of theinvention have been described, it will be understood, however, that theinvention is not limited thereto, since modifications may be made bythose skilled in the art, particularly in light of the foregoingteachings. It is, therefore, contemplated by the appended claims tocover any such modifications that incorporate those features or thoseimprovements that embody the spirit and scope of the present invention.

1. An apparatus for demonstrating the operation of vehicle air bags,wherein said apparatus comprises one or more vehicle seats, one or moreair bags positioned a specified distance from the vehicle seat, and ameans for static detonation of the air bags.
 2. The apparatus of claim1, wherein an air bag is installed in a steering wheel and a vehicleseat simulates a driver's side seat.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein an air bag is installed in a dashboard simulator and a vehicleseats simulates a passenger's side seat.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1,further comprising an automobile seat belt with a shoulder harness,whereby the apparatus provides a realistic demonstration of thedangerous effects vehicle air bags can have on the human body unlessseat belts are used properly.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, furthercomprising a vehicle chassis designed to simulate the front portion of apassenger car or light truck.
 6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein thesteering wheel is rotatable up and outside of the vehicle chassis todisclose a dashboard simulator containing an air bag.
 7. The apparatusof claim 5, wherein the vehicle chassis provides a generallyunobstructed view of the interior of the apparatus.
 8. The apparatus ofclaim 4, further comprising a human body simulator.
 9. An apparatus forsimulating the operation of vehicle air bags comprising a vehiclechassis designed to simulate the front portion of a passenger car orlight truck, at least one vehicle seats, at least one air bag positioneda specified distance from the vehicle seat, an automobile seat belt witha shoulder harness, a means for static detonation of the air bag, and ahuman body simulation device, whereby the apparatus provides a realisticdemonstration of the dangerous effects that vehicle air bags can have onthe human body unless seat belts are used properly.
 10. A apparatus forsimulating the operation of vehicle air bags comprising a vehiclechassis, one vehicle seat, an air bag installed into a steering wheelpositioned a specified distance from the vehicle seat, an automobileseat belt with a shoulder harness, a means for static detonation of theair bag, and a human body simulation device, wherein the steering wheelis rotatable up and outside of the vehicle chassis to disclose adashboard simulator containing an air bag, whereby the apparatusprovides a realistic demonstration of the dangerous effects that bothdriver's side and passenger side vehicle air bags can have on the humanbody unless seat belts are used properly.
 11. A method for demonstratingthe dangerous effects that automobile air bags can have on the humanbody unless seat belts are used properly, comprising the steps of: a.arranging a human body simulator in a vehicle simulator equipped withone or more air bags; b. either securing or not securing the human bodysimulator into the vehicle simulator with a seat belt; and c. staticallydetonating the one or more air bags.